considerable originality, learning, eloquence, zeal, and courage, but eccentric, radical, injudicious,
ill-balanced, restless, and ambitious for leadership.
He taught at first the theology of mediaeval scholasticism, but became under Luther’s
influence a strict Augustinian, and utterly denied the liberty of the human will.
He wrote the first critical work on the Canon of the Scriptures, and anticipated the biblical
criticism of modern times. He weighed the historic evidence, discriminated between three orders
of books as of first, second, and third dignity, putting the Hagiographa of the Old Testament and
the seven Antilegomena of the New in the third order, and expressed doubts on the Mosaic authorship
of the Pentateuch. He based his objections to the Antilegomena, not on dogmatic grounds, as Luther,
but on the want of historical testimony; his opposition to the traditional Canon was itself traditional;
he put ante-Nicene against post-Nicene tradition. This book on the Canon, however, was crude and
premature, and passed out of sight.^478
He invented some curious and untenable interpretations of Scripture, e.g., of the words of
institution of the Lord’s Supper. He referred the word "this," not to the bread, but to the body of
Christ, so as to mean: "I am now ready to offer this (body) as a sacrifice in death." He did not,
however, publish this view till 1524, and afterwards made common cause with Zwingli.
Carlstadt preached and wrote, during Luther’s absence, against celibacy, monastic vows,
and the mass. At Christmas, 1521, he omitted in the service the most objectionable parts of the
Canon of the mass, and the elevation of the host, and distributed both wine and bread to a large
congregation. He announced at the same time that he would lay aside the priestly dress and other
ceremonies. Two days afterwards he was engaged to the daughter of a poor nobleman in the presence
of distinguished professors of the university, and on Jan. 20, 1522, he was married. He gave improper
notoriety to this act by inviting the whole university and the magistrate, and by publishing a book
in justification of it.
He was not, however, the first priest who openly burst the chains of celibacy. Bartholomäus
Bernhardi of Feldkirchen, a Wittenberg licentiate and newly elected Probst at Kemberg, and two
other priests of less reputable character, had preceded him in 1521. Justus Jonas followed the
example, and took a wife Feb. 10, 1522, to get rid of temptations to impurity (1 Cor. 7:12). Luther
approved of these marriages, but did not intend at that time to follow the example.
Carlstadt went further, and maintained that no priest without wife and children should
receive an appointment (so he explained "must" in 1 Tim. 3:2); that it was sin to commune without
the cup; and that the monastic vow of celibacy was not binding, at least not before the sixtieth year
of age, chastity being a free gift of God, and not at man’s disposal. He introduced a new legalism
instead of the old, in violation of the principle of evangelical liberty and charity.
He also denounced pictures and images as dumb idols, which were plainly forbidden in the
second commandment, and should be burnt rather than tolerated in the house of God. He induced
the town council to remove them from the parish church; but the populace anticipated the orderly
removal, tore them down, hewed them to pieces, and burnt them. He assailed the fasts, and enjoined
the people to eat meat and eggs on fast-days. He repudiated all titles and dignities, since Christ
alone was our Master (Matt. 23:8). He expressed contempt for theology and all human learning,
(^478) Libellus de Canonicis Scripturis, Wittenb. 1520; also in German: Welche Bücher heilig und biblisch seind. Comp. Weiss, Einleitung
in’s N. T. (1886), p. 109, and Reuss, Histoire du Canon (1863), 357 sqq. (Hunter’s translation, p. 336 sq.)